Makar Sankranti is synonymous with kite flying across the country, a tradition that has a 150-year-old history in Jaipur.According to the historians, kite flying tradition in Pink City was brought from Uttar Pradesh.
Makar Sankranti is synonymous with kite flying across the country, a tradition that has a 150-year-old history in Jaipur.
According to the historians, kite flying tradition in Pink City was brought from Uttar Pradesh.
Kite flying was made popular by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II (1835-1880 AD) who brought the tradition of kite flying from Lucknow to Jaipur and during his tenure, many kite makers from Lucknow used to visit Jaipur city.
According to the information provided by the City Palace museum in Jaipur, at the time of Sawai Ram Singh II, a special kite of big size, with the fine cloth used to be made which was called ‘tukkal’. Instead of small thread, big charkhis with specially made strings were used to fly these enormous kites. At the end of kites, small bells were also tucked.
Sangeeta Sharma, professor of history at Rajasthan University, said, “Maharaja was so fond of kite flying that he started a ‘Kaarkhana’ i.e. a department in Jaipur dealing with kites. A room in the palace was filled with tukkal i.e. kites. The kite flying is still an important part of the royal family who celebrate the tradition on the terrace of city palace every year.”
At the time of Sawai Ram Singh II, cutting the kite strings of maharaja was sort after, but palace guards were put on alert who would go galloping on the horses to get the tukkal back to the palace. Maharaja encouraged the tradition of kite making in the city due to which many colonies of kite makers emerged in walled city, the prominent amongst it is Handipura, which is still the biggest market of kites in Jaipur.
Before independence, kite flying competitions for common public were organised at Lal Dungri and Jal Mahal. Even today, the Rajasthan tourism department celebrates the kite festival at Jal Mahal.
Every year, the city palace exhibits centuries-old tukkal and charkhis of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II at the city palace museum on Makar Sankranti. Due to pandemics, this year, the city palace didn’t celebrate the kite flying festival at the palace roof but the custom made popular by the former Maharaja is still followed by every Jaipurite on Sankrant.
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